Can you recycle black pots where you are, Veggie? If you can, then ditch the black ones and keep the orange ones, if you can't recycle black, then keep the black and ditch the orange, then keep the square and ditch the round.
I like square because they fit in trays better, and roots don't end up circling the pot so much.
There must be advantages to round ones or they wouldn't be used so much commercially. Perhaps it is as you say, they take less filling.
I've just ordered a 'massive' (their words not mine) garden storage box to store gravel trays, pots and sowing paraphernalia in order to free up some space in the shed for all the other stuff, in fact to make it so we can enter the shed rather than clamber over kit to get in.
Do you wash pots as you go or store dirty ones ready for washing in the winter/spring. Or do you not bother to wash?
Can't recycle black pots here - but could offer them on one of the Freebie groups - which is what I intend to do with all the odd ones..
There's one exception to that - coloured pots are being kept, whatever their size!
(24-07-2020, 08:54 PM)JJB Wrote: [ -> ]I've just ordered a 'massive' (their words not mine) garden storage box to store gravel trays, pots and sowing paraphernalia in order to free up some space in the shed for all the other stuff, in fact to make it so we can enter the shed rather than clamber over kit to get in.
Do you wash pots as you go or store dirty ones ready for washing in the winter/spring. Or do you not bother to wash?
I don't wash pots - just brush off the soil. Life's too short............
I don't wash pots either, and I prefer square pots, especially for small pots because I feel I get more growing time in the same pot because a square pot holds more compost than a round ones. For larger pots I prefer round ones, strangely!
I used to wash, but not any more. ; life is indeed too short!
After use they live in the outdoor sink until they either get re-used or put away, so the top ones get a wash! Otherwise, left to dry and then a quick brush.
I've read that it's better to plant trees into square holes than round because hitting the corners makes the roots grow out whereas, in round holes, they are more likely to clump together. However, then I read
this, which makes a lot of sense and also explains the more soil in square pots than equal diameter round pots thing in a nice visual way.
Thanks Proserpina.
Anyone who questions James Wong is worth reading.
As a further thought, proved on the back of an envelope, one can draw a square either outside or inside a circle. The area of the inside square will be much less than the outside square. I may have to play with pots - round pot inside square pot with a square pot inside the round pot. This may take some time.
I rinse pots in a trug but thats about it was washing the trug water then gets used on containers/pots/ GH.
I don't think the plants are bothered what shape pot it is in as long as it is big enough for the length of time it is in it. If you are going to plant out reasonably soon then not so much compost is needed. The article Proserpina linked says that a square pot has about 25% more compost than a round one that would fit just inside the square one, may be a bit more if the sides are nearer to the vertical.
You would waste less water watering a tray of square pots. I use round pots as I got a load and also some purpose trays that a dozen pots fit into for carrying, free from a nursery whose owner was retiring. She said that she used to use a handle that would fit 2 trays on so she could carry 4 trays, 48 3.5" pots, at a time but she didn't have any then.